Snapshots of the Changing Bear!

Bear Creek restoration and water quality monitoring remains at the top of many agency and organization priority list’s after the Almeda Fire. Check out the following for brief updates on how Rogue Riverkeeper is working to help increase the health of Bear Creek.

Photo-monitoring Program

In response to the Almeda Fire, and in conjunction with partners, Rogue Riverkeeper created a volunteer-run photomonitoring program to visually capture changes to the Greenway and creek corridor over time. Volunteers are given specific photopoints to monitor every month, to document and observe the riparian areas upstream, midstream, and downstream of the point. We are collecting the images and organizing them to help track restoration efforts and progress in partnership with local agencies and partner organizations.

Beginning in November, volunteers began taking photos of Bear Creek at eleven different sites from Ashland Creek to Northridge Terrace. Here are some of the changes between then and now….

In October, November, and December, restoration groups and local jurisdictions responded quickly to stabilize the banks of Bear Creek to reduce erosion in order to protect water quality for drinking water providers downstream and fall Chinook salmon runs. Grass seeding, planting native vegetation and hay wattles are among some of the methods used to protect the Bear Creek waterway.

In most sites, the difference in revegetation from winter to almost spring is subtle. Yet, the images reveal that the restoration measures installed last winter are holding in place through winter storms, and new growth is on its way! Check out this Guest Opinion on how snags and downed trees create valuable habitat for wildlife after fire.

In some sites, green is returning in a hurry as seen above at Heron Park in Phoenix! Below are aerial images of Coleman Creek in Phoenix.

Special thanks to one of our super volunteers for capturing aerial images of Coleman Creek!

Are you interested in volunteering for Rogue Riverkeeper for photomonitoring, greenway clean-ups, or water quality sample collection?
Volunteer opportunities are available!

Water Quality Monitoring

Rogue Riverkeeper is partnering with many organizations and agencies to form the Post-Fire Water Quality Working Group, a team that gathers on a weekly basis to assess the water quality in Bear Creek and the mainstem Rogue to ensure drinking water sources downstream and wildlife resources are clean and safe. Sites are routinely monitored for temperature, conductivity, turbidity, additional nutrients, and heavy metals - and additional water samples are taken after storm events. The group is currently working on securing additional funding to increase monitoring sites and add additional data analysis.

If you missed our recent public forum - Water Quality Impacts after Fir: Impacts and Responses - cohosted with Rogue Valley Sewer Services, check out the link for current water quality analyses and streambank restoration.

Bear Creek Restoration Initiative

RRK has been part of the Bear Creek Restoration Initiative (BCRI) since 2019 which is a coalition of local stakeholders focused on Bear Creek restoration, water quality, wildlife, social justice, recreation, and public safety. This working group is ramping up after a bit of a hiatus in 2020, due to the pandemic and fires, to initiate meaningful conversations and efforts around Bear Creek’s public usability and safety, while also working to improve its ecological health and vitality. Stay tuned for more to come from the Bear Creek Restoration Initiative!

Speaker Series - How Beaver Impact Bear Creek after Fire

Rogue Riverkeeper's Winter Speaker Series continues on Tuesday, March 30th at 5:30PM - join us virtually! We will host speakers from The Beaver Coalition, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide “widespread public and private landowner support for a return of beavers and their works to the waterways of the North America.” Come learn how beaver in riverscapes cause the restoration of hydrologically and ecologically healthy aquatic systems, and specifically, how the return of beaver to Bear Creek is beneficial after the Almeda Fire.

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